My Fridays Off

When I initially went back to work it soon became a regular 40 hour work week that then became more like a 50 hour work week until I found another job (at IBM where I’ve been for over a decade now).

I went back to the 40 hour work week but with little kids I was finding it to be too much. Took a leave of absence then went back to a 32 hour work week. That worked really well for getting to kids’ sports events and the like. I spread the hours out over the whole week.

My kids are grown up now. And Andy has suggested (a few times, especially when work gets into crunch mode and I’m putting in extra hours) that I go back to full time.

Not interested. I now work a 4-day week with Fridays off and I basically switch my weekend to Fri/Sat so that Sunday can be a day of rest. It doesn’t always work out that way, but when it does it’s a beautiful thing.

This was my day today, a sample Friday off:

Took the dogs to the pond for a swim. There is a small walk in the woods to get there; prayed for no porcupines!

Cleaned my garden window, inside and out. Took off the screens and hosed them down.

Repotted some plants.

Made myself a health shake. Set some almonds to soak because I almost finished the almond milk.

Talked to a friend (on the phone) who had been going to come for a visit but had to cancel.

Vacuumed the downstairs.

Cleaned the mudroom (dog room) with petzyme cleaner (to get rid of the dog smell) and laundered their toys and the dog bed cover.

Took a bath and headed out to the store where I bought a couple of things including some dried flowers and a vase for making an arrangement for my living room. Ate a snack bar on the way.

Went grocery shopping at a store called Wegmen’s I hadn’t been to yet. My intention was to go to Trader Joe’s but I saw a sign for it and decided to see what all the hype was. WOW. It was huge. So huge that the first two employees I approached to ask where the vinegar was guessed (and were wrong). The third guy must have been working there for awhile because he knew right where it was.

PS I usually try to grocery shop on Fridays because it’s less crowded.

Home to feed the pets. Folded some laundry. I wasn’t hungry because I had snacked on some grocery items.

Made the flower arrangement for my living room.

Watered the herb planters and flower gardens. Have to do the vegetable one in the morning because that’s supposed to help with my slug problem. You create a nice damp environment for them when you water at night.

Maded myself a stir fry with a package of pre-made stirfry-sized vegies, courtesy of Wegmen’s.

Grabbed the book I am doing for Bible study and read on the porch while I ate. And drank a glass of wine. And talked to the dogs. I was the only human home. This is atypical because Friday is usually time with Andy. But he and Kelly are in Maine. I’d say that time of rest and relaxation lasted about a half hour. And was interrupted by a couple of phone calls.

Worked on cleaning the kitchen. Got into a project of cleaning out the spice / condiments / dessert cabinets next to the sink. Why?

Pureed the almonds with water. Set the almond meal + water to strain overnight.